When did a Volvo become a status car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among car enthusiasts, absolutely nothing about volvo indicates any type of status

In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k).

DP here, depends on what you are looking for. E class is pretty good in that price range. I have not paid attention to BMW and Audi as of late but they should also have good selections in that price range. Aside from that, the recent Caddys look nice, the new Corvette, Cobra Mustang, various Jeeps, Rovers. Heck, even a Lexus. Some of these may not communicate the same sense of status as you are familiar with, but they are cars that car enthusiasts lean into.

[Anonymous]

Volvo is owned by a Chinese company.
The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group bought it from Ford Co. over 10 years ago.

Don’t tell my neighbors! They have a Volvo because they only want European cars. They look down on the Japanese cars!! 😀

[Anonymous]

Yeah I don’t get it. Its a Chinese owned car company

[Anonymous]

As the wife of an active car enthusiast who owns several vintage British racing cars, I’m here to tell you that the partners of true car enthusiasts always drive Volkswagens. Not status-y but I do laugh that it’s a bit of a funny dog whistle among the car crew in my experience. When you go to these events w the whole family, it’s hobby cars and….All Tracks, Atlases, and GTIs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the wife of an active car enthusiast who owns several vintage British racing cars, I’m here to tell you that the partners of true car enthusiasts always drive Volkswagens. Not status-y but I do laugh that it’s a bit of a funny dog whistle among the car crew in my experience. When you go to these events w the whole family, it’s hobby cars and….All Tracks, Atlases, and GTIs.

Yea, they want those VWs around to comfort them about the lack of reliability of their British racers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When and how is the Volvo a status car? Somehow it’s supposed to be classier than a Mercedes?

Once Mercedes introduced an option to illuminate the Mercedes logo at night, they choose which demographic to appeal to and which to alienate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among car enthusiasts, absolutely nothing about volvo indicates any type of status

In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k).

DP here, depends on what you are looking for. E class is pretty good in that price range. I have not paid attention to BMW and Audi as of late but they should also have good selections in that price range. Aside from that, the recent Caddys look nice, the new Corvette, Cobra Mustang, various Jeeps, Rovers. Heck, even a Lexus. Some of these may not communicate the same sense of status as you are familiar with, but they are cars that car enthusiasts lean into.

Helpful suggestion, but given the forum (dc urban moms) I think some of the list options might not work for the target audience or may not line up well against similar prices XC90s/XC60s. Lots of hypothetical alternatives but in practice there is the limiting factor of the vehicle being needed to shuttle around DC/DC and their friends and gear. Boosters and car seats don’t work well in Corvettes and mustangs. So, those are out. There has been a few threads on how stale/dates the Jeep Grand Cherokee with reliability issues because of the pentastar engine and Chrysler electronics, but maybe the new lines will fix that.

Range Rovers are nice but unless you opt for the lower end discovery line or sport/velar models you aren’t getting one new under 70k. Cadillac has the Escalade (over $70), but the XT6/XT5 are options if you will never need to tow anything. The Mercedes GLS nice but base price is over $70k. So, the options here are the GLE (base model at $56k) and GLCs. For Audi you have the Q7/Q5 comps under 70. BMW you have the X5 (X4/X3). Once you start adding the safety functions the XC60 and XC90 lines up well or better in terms of price/features than its competitors and repairs after the warranty expires are less expensive. Whether through marketing or brand history it can seem like the safer bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among car enthusiasts, absolutely nothing about volvo indicates any type of status

In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k).

DP here, depends on what you are looking for. E class is pretty good in that price range. I have not paid attention to BMW and Audi as of late but they should also have good selections in that price range. Aside from that, the recent Caddys look nice, the new Corvette, Cobra Mustang, various Jeeps, Rovers. Heck, even a Lexus. Some of these may not communicate the same sense of status as you are familiar with, but they are cars that car enthusiasts lean into.

Helpful suggestion, but given the forum (dc urban moms) I think some of the list options might not work for the target audience or may not line up well against similar prices XC90s/XC60s. Lots of hypothetical alternatives but in practice there is the limiting factor of the vehicle being needed to shuttle around DC/DC and their friends and gear. Boosters and car seats don’t work well in Corvettes and mustangs. So, those are out. There has been a few threads on how stale/dates the Jeep Grand Cherokee with reliability issues because of the pentastar engine and Chrysler electronics, but maybe the new lines will fix that.

Range Rovers are nice but unless you opt for the lower end discovery line or sport/velar models you aren’t getting one new under 70k. Cadillac has the Escalade (over $70), but the XT6/XT5 are options if you will never need to tow anything. The Mercedes GLS nice but base price is over $70k. So, the options here are the GLE (base model at $56k) and GLCs. For Audi you have the Q7/Q5 comps under 70. BMW you have the X5 (X4/X3). Once you start adding the safety functions the XC60 and XC90 lines up well or better in terms of price/features than its competitors and repairs after the warranty expires are less expensive. Whether through marketing or brand history it can seem like the safer bet.

The original question contains a huge logical fallacy and can't be appropriately answered. The poster asked, "In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k)." There is virtually no car that reflects status, at least not a "family car" in that price range. A previous poster got as close as possible mentioning corvette and mustang. An Audi S5 or a BMW m340i come close. If you're going to put all these ifs ands or buts on it, "well it needs to sit at least 5 people and be under 70k and blah blah blah" then we are no longer talking about status cars at all, which is the original point of my criticism - VOLVOS ARE NOT STATUS CARS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When and how is the Volvo a status car? Somehow it’s supposed to be classier than a Mercedes?

Once Mercedes introduced an option to illuminate the Mercedes logo at night, they choose which demographic to appeal to and which to alienate

Maybe, but you don’t have to buy that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among car enthusiasts, absolutely nothing about volvo indicates any type of status

In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k).

DP here, depends on what you are looking for. E class is pretty good in that price range. I have not paid attention to BMW and Audi as of late but they should also have good selections in that price range. Aside from that, the recent Caddys look nice, the new Corvette, Cobra Mustang, various Jeeps, Rovers. Heck, even a Lexus. Some of these may not communicate the same sense of status as you are familiar with, but they are cars that car enthusiasts lean into.

Helpful suggestion, but given the forum (dc urban moms) I think some of the list options might not work for the target audience or may not line up well against similar prices XC90s/XC60s. Lots of hypothetical alternatives but in practice there is the limiting factor of the vehicle being needed to shuttle around DC/DC and their friends and gear. Boosters and car seats don’t work well in Corvettes and mustangs. So, those are out. There has been a few threads on how stale/dates the Jeep Grand Cherokee with reliability issues because of the pentastar engine and Chrysler electronics, but maybe the new lines will fix that.

Range Rovers are nice but unless you opt for the lower end discovery line or sport/velar models you aren’t getting one new under 70k. Cadillac has the Escalade (over $70), but the XT6/XT5 are options if you will never need to tow anything. The Mercedes GLS nice but base price is over $70k. So, the options here are the GLE (base model at $56k) and GLCs. For Audi you have the Q7/Q5 comps under 70. BMW you have the X5 (X4/X3). Once you start adding the safety functions the XC60 and XC90 lines up well or better in terms of price/features than its competitors and repairs after the warranty expires are less expensive. Whether through marketing or brand history it can seem like the safer bet.

I was looking at new cars recently. You can get a loaded xc 90 (non hybrid) for $60k. The GLS is closer to $80k. They really aren’t even in the same class. I think the GLE is more comparable, but with the basic options, it’s closer to $70. The Volvo seems economical for a nice car, but in the end, I couldn’t get past the fact that it’s a Chinese company and it could be hard to get parts in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among car enthusiasts, absolutely nothing about volvo indicates any type of status

In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k).

DP here, depends on what you are looking for. E class is pretty good in that price range. I have not paid attention to BMW and Audi as of late but they should also have good selections in that price range. Aside from that, the recent Caddys look nice, the new Corvette, Cobra Mustang, various Jeeps, Rovers. Heck, even a Lexus. Some of these may not communicate the same sense of status as you are familiar with, but they are cars that car enthusiasts lean into.

Helpful suggestion, but given the forum (dc urban moms) I think some of the list options might not work for the target audience or may not line up well against similar prices XC90s/XC60s. Lots of hypothetical alternatives but in practice there is the limiting factor of the vehicle being needed to shuttle around DC/DC and their friends and gear. Boosters and car seats don’t work well in Corvettes and mustangs. So, those are out. There has been a few threads on how stale/dates the Jeep Grand Cherokee with reliability issues because of the pentastar engine and Chrysler electronics, but maybe the new lines will fix that.

Range Rovers are nice but unless you opt for the lower end discovery line or sport/velar models you aren’t getting one new under 70k. Cadillac has the Escalade (over $70), but the XT6/XT5 are options if you will never need to tow anything. The Mercedes GLS nice but base price is over $70k. So, the options here are the GLE (base model at $56k) and GLCs. For Audi you have the Q7/Q5 comps under 70. BMW you have the X5 (X4/X3). Once you start adding the safety functions the XC60 and XC90 lines up well or better in terms of price/features than its competitors and repairs after the warranty expires are less expensive. Whether through marketing or brand history it can seem like the safer bet.

The original question contains a huge logical fallacy and can't be appropriately answered. The poster asked, "In your expert car enthusiast opinion what car does reflect status (under 70k)." There is virtually no car that reflects status, at least not a "family car" in that price range. A previous poster got as close as possible mentioning corvette and mustang. An Audi S5 or a BMW m340i come close. If you're going to put all these ifs ands or buts on it, "well it needs to sit at least 5 people and be under 70k and blah blah blah" then we are no longer talking about status cars at all, which is the original point of my criticism - VOLVOS ARE NOT STATUS CARS

Exactly. Volvo’s are certainly not status cars and neither are most other family cars under this arbitrary $70k cut off. Something is a status car because it is out of reach for most people.

[Anonymous]

For a long time, Volvo prided itself as having the highest safety ratings in luxury segment. Their explicit appeal was to families who wanted something nicer and more powerful than the typical American or Japanese sedan/wagon/SUV, but who didn't really desire the sport handling (and discomfort) of a BMW or Mercedes. It's for someone who wanted something discreet and well-appointed.

When Lexus was launched, it was explicitly targeted to eat into Volvo's market share.

You're nuts if you don't think Volvo's are luxury vehicles. They are not cheap. They are much nicer than Subaru's, Toyota's, Honda's, or anything made by most American manufacturers. I'd say Volvo's closest competitors are Lexus and Lincoln, in terms of refinement and value. And whatever Geely is doing for the brand is way more innovative than anything Ford ever did.

Plus, the XC90 plug-in hybrid is an absolute beast with 400hp and massaging front seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a long time, Volvo prided itself as having the highest safety ratings in luxury segment. Their explicit appeal was to families who wanted something nicer and more powerful than the typical American or Japanese sedan/wagon/SUV, but who didn't really desire the sport handling (and discomfort) of a BMW or Mercedes. It's for someone who wanted something discreet and well-appointed.

When Lexus was launched, it was explicitly targeted to eat into Volvo's market share.

You're nuts if you don't think Volvo's are luxury vehicles. They are not cheap. They are much nicer than Subaru's, Toyota's, Honda's, or anything made by most American manufacturers. I'd say Volvo's closest competitors are Lexus and Lincoln, in terms of refinement and value. And whatever Geely is doing for the brand is way more innovative than anything Ford ever did.

Plus, the XC90 plug-in hybrid is an absolute beast with 400hp and massaging front seats.

Except the Honda and Subaru will make it through their first 100k miles with just oil changes and tires.

Show me a Volvo that’s ever achieved that, lolz!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When and how is the Volvo a status car? Somehow it’s supposed to be classier than a Mercedes?

Once Mercedes introduced an option to illuminate the Mercedes logo at night, they choose which demographic to appeal to and which to alienate

OMG this. Had one of those behind me last night. There’s a recent thread here about how Volvos are the cars for people who don’t like to be people who care about cars, particularly flashy “I am an expensive status symbol” Mercedes cars, that gets into it more extensively. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/989903.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When and how is the Volvo a status car? Somehow it’s supposed to be classier than a Mercedes?

Once Mercedes introduced an option to illuminate the Mercedes logo at night, they choose which demographic to appeal to and which to alienate

Maybe, but you don’t have to buy that option.

the fact that they offer it is enough.